Course tutors: Dave Simpson, Diane Whitley & Mervyn Watson
Dave has had in excess of 30 radio plays broadcast, the last of which, Nightmares has been adapted into a feature-length film. He has also had in excess of 15 stage productions including the hugely successful Girls’ Night Out. He has also written for Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
Diane has written for radio and television, including Grange Hill, The Worst Witch, and three series that she worked on as Producer and co-writer, Big Meg Little Meg, 24Seven and Girls in Love. Her other credits as a TV Producer include the BAFTA-nominated Children’s Ward.
Mervyn Watson is an Executive Producer at the BBC.
This is a course for dramatists who have either never written before or who have scripts they have been unable to sell. This is a unique course. It will be intensive, one-to-one with a probable ratio of three to four students per tutor. No other writing course anywhere in the world will give such close, personal one-to-one feedback from three very experienced writer/producer tutors.
Course fee: (including airport transfers, accommodation, breakfast, lunch, two evening meals and drinks on the terrace at the end of each day) £495.
This is not a tutored course. It is an opportunity to make progress with your own writing without distraction, in idyllic surroundings and in the company of other writers. Places will be allocated on a first-come first served basis and all guests will be offered single occupancy. (However, if you wish to bring a friend or partner we can offer a discount for shared occupancy) Your hosts, Dave and Diane, will be on hand for informal chats and will also offer a one-off tutoring session if required and requested in advance. There is no set pattern to the week, come and go as you please and treat the place as a home from home.
Fee: (Including airport transfers, accommodation, and help-yourself breakfast and lunch) £250. (10% discount for anyone staying on from the previous week’s course.)
Course tutor: Serena Mackesy
Serena is an experienced journalist, novelist and short story writer. She believes that writing is as much an artisan craft as an
Inspirational one and that the confidence that comes with learned and
practised skills is more than half the battle. This course aims to be a
shot in the arm whether you are a brand new writer, an old stuck one, or just looking for a way to get started.
Course fee: (including airport transfers, accommodation, breakfast, lunch, two evening meals and drinks on the terrace at the end of each day) £495.
See above.
Fee: (Including airport transfers, accommodation, and help-yourself breakfast and lunch) £250. (10% discount for anyone staying on from the previous week’s course.)
Course Tutor – Kay Mellor
Kay is one of the UK’s most successful television writers with a string of awards including a BAFTA, the prestigious Dennis Potter Award. Her hugely successful series such as Fat Friends, Playing the Field and Band of Gold are funny, truthful and moving. If you want to learn how Kay translates ideas into script then onto screen, how she creates good, strong characters and consistently fascinating and dramatic storylines over several series, come and find out. You will be expected to start writing a single TV play or work on an existing TV idea.
The course is suitable for both experienced writers who want to learn how to create and write series drama but also for non-experienced writers who simply want to learn the craft of writing for television.
See above.
Fee: (Including airport transfers, accommodation, and help-yourself breakfast and lunch) £250. (10% discount for anyone staying on from the previous week’s course.)
Fee: (Including airport transfers, accommodation, and help-yourself breakfast and lunch) £495.
Click here to review the courses we ran in 2005, or here for 2006.
